Erik and Christine, The Married Life
by Beloved-Infidel
Summary: What would have happened if Christine had chosen Erik, instead?
1. Chapter 1

**Erik and Christine, The Married Life  
**_Chapter 1_

Erik plopped down on the couch after a grueling day of sending notes to André and Firmin and composing a new opera for them to perform. He turned on the TV and started to channel surf.  
Christine shuffled in wearing a blue robe and pink fuzzy slippers, her hair up in curlers. "Erik, honey, we need to talk."  
Erik kept flipping channels, "Hm?"  
"I think we should go on a family vacation, get of the Opera House for a while. I was thinking Disneyland," she said, smiling hopefully.  
Erik grimaced, "Do you know what kind of sick ideas those fairy tales put into kids' heads?"  
"Well, how about Hawaii?"  
"Costs too much."  
"Well, I'm sure André and Firmin pay you enough."  
"I like it here. And I hate the sun. You know how sensitive my skin is."  
"Perhaps if you wore sunscreen?"  
"_No_ Christine."  
"Yes dear...What about Aspen?"  
"I don't know how to ski."  
"You could take lessons with Jean-Luc. That way he wouldn't feel so awkward."  
"_I'd_ feel awkward."  
"It might be easier if you didn't wear your mask. You would be able to see better, for instance"  
Erik looked at her and raised his eyebrow, "I will not, under any circumstances, remove my mask"  
Christine giggled, "Not _any _circumstances?"  
Erik caught the hint, "Well, under _that_ circumstance. But no others."

A little boy of five walked in and tugged on Christine's robe, "Mommy, isn't it time to go to bed?"  
"Oh, yes Jean-Luc. Let's go, I'll tuck you in."  
"Can't I say goodnight to Daddy?"  
"Well of _course_ you can say goodnight to Daddy."  
Jean-Luc toddled over to Erik, who patted the child's head awkwardly. "Er, goodnight son," Erik said and motioned for Christine to take over.  
Christine took the boy's hand and led him to his bedroom.  
Jean-Luc yawned, "Mommy, how come Daddy's face is all white and shiney like that?"  
"Um..." Christine paused, searching for an answer. She decided the truth would be best, "Well sweetie, that's daddy's mask."  
"Oh..." The boy seemed to ponder this for a moment.  
Christine turned to leave.  
"Mommy?"  
She sighed, "Yes, darling angel?"  
"What's a mask?"  
"I'll tell you when you're older, dear."

Christine shuffled back to the living room, this time to find Erik reading the newspaper, "Erik, don't you think it's time we told our son about your... face?"  
"He doesn't need to know."  
"Well, he _is_ our son. Think for a moment, Erik. What if he should one day accidentally see you without your mask on?"  
"I will take good care in seeing that it doesn't happen," Erik turned the page, "He's not seeing my face," he scanned it for good articles, "And that's final!" He shook out his paper, as if to make his point perfectly clear.  
"I hear their doing wonderful things with plastic surgery these days..." Christine offered quietly.  
Erik looked up from his paper, "I said no."  
"Yes dear."


	2. Chapter 2

**Erik and Christine, The Married Life**  
_Chapter 2_

Christine scurried around the house with a feather duster, cleaning things here and there. She dressed nicer than usual in a deep blue dress, matching shoes, and her hair in a complicated up-do.  
Erik, as always, occupied the couch. He looked up from the TV and frowned, "Why are you dressed like that?"  
Christine let out a shrill giggle, making Erik cringe, "Dressed like what, dear?"  
"Like," Erik waved his hand in her general direction, _"That!"  
_ "Oh! Like this!"  
"Yes, like that."  
"Oh! Um! Well"  
A bell rang, signaling someone was at the gate. Christine glanced nervously at Erik and bit her lip, "I'd better go see who that is, hm?" She scurried off to get the door.  
Erik let out an exasperated sigh. He strode over to the TV set and banged on it to get rid of the static. That failing, he resumed his position on the couch, "Fonzy I am not..."

Christine walked in, smiling nervously. She was followed by a dull, unimpressive looking man in a dull, unimpressive looking grey suit.  
Erik eyed the intruder warily, "Who's he?"  
"Erik, dear, this is Dr. Moore. He's here to help us."  
"Is he here to install cable?"  
"Um, no dear..."  
"Can he fix the TV, at least?"  
"Er..."  
Dr. Moore stepped forward and offered his hand to Erik, "I'm Dr. Moore, I'm a marriage counselor."  
Erik smiled and said in an overly-sweet tone, "Hello there, can _you_ fix a TV"  
"Well, no..." Dr. Moore shifted uncomfortably, "Er, may we go somewhere to sit down?"  
Christine stepped between the two men, grinning and making superfluous hand gestures, "How about we go talk in the kitchen?"  
Erik got up and plodded to the kitchen, followed by his wife and the counselor.

The three of them sat around the kitchen table in a tense silence. Christine coughed. Erik opened that day's newspaper and began to read.  
Dr. Moore made an attempt at conversation, "So, Monsieur... erm... what is your surname?"  
"The Phantom. Or Opera Ghost, if you prefer," Erik answered, his eyes not leaving the paper.  
"Oui, Monsieur Opera Ghost."  
"No. Just, Opera Ghost. No mister. Opera Ghost. Nothing else."  
"I see..." Dr. Moore took out a pen and pad of paper and scribbled something on it while muttering, "Multiple personality complex, possible schizophrenia..."  
Erik looked up from his paper and shot an icy stare at Dr. Moore, "I do _not_ have a multiple personality complex and I am _not_ a schizophrenic." He went back to reading, "I am merely suffering from an inferiority complex brought on by the lack of attention from my mother as a child, that is all"  
Dr. Moore sat gaping while Christine suppressed a laugh. Dr. Moore swallowed and continued with his examination, "It seems we also have a problem with our attention span..."  
Erik continued reading his paper, "_We_ do not have a problem with our attention span. I pay attention to important people. Oh look, a new opera premiers tonight. I must attend that. You were saying something?"  
Dr. Moore was positively fuming, "I am NOT going to sit here and be one-upped by an _amateur!"_ he shouted, practically spitting the word 'amateur.'  
Erik looked at him innocently, "_I?_ One-upping _you?_ My dear monsieur, I am doing nothing of the kind! I am simply correcting your observations and reading my newspaper. Is there anything wrong with that, I ask you? Besides, I thought you were a marriage counselor."  
"I am, but I took quite a few courses in psychology."  
"Well that hardly makes you any less of an amateur than me, now does it."  
Dr. Moore started to cry, "My parents always said I'd never amount to anything! Now look at me, a marriage counselor! And my best paying client is a... a... a..." he stumbled for the proper word, "A Phantom! I want my teddy bear!" He sobbed into the sleeve of Christine's dress. Christine looked at Erik with pleading eyes.  
Erik leaned forward, "Tell me about your mother."  
Dr. Moore ran out of the lair screaming.

Christine snorted. Her snort turned into a giggle and her giggle turned into a guffaw. Soon she was laughing uncontrollably and so was Erik. Christine kissed Erik's cheek, "Dear, that was wonderful! I don't know what I was thinking hiring that silly counselor in the first place."  
"Well, I think we both deserved a good laugh. And you're right, we do need a family vacation. When Jean-Luc gets home from school we'll have a family meeting about it. We haven't had one of those in ages."  
Christine stood up, "Oh good! I'll get my brochures!" She scurried off to find the aforementioned brochures.  
"Not Disneyland!" Erik yelled after her.  
"Yes dear."


End file.
